OU Men's Tennis To Take On Texas-Arlington and No. 57 Louisiana-Lafayette

By Athletics Communications

University of Oklahoma

MARCH 01, 2004

This Week in Sooner TennisThe Oklahoma men’s tennis team (8-0) will take on Texas-Arlington (4-3) on Fri., March 6, and No. 57 Louisiana-Lafayette (3-4) on Sat., March 7, at the UTA Tennis Center in Arlington, Texas. Action will begin at 1:30 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. on Saturday.

Series Record/Last TimeThe Sooners defeated Texas-Arlington, 4-0, to clinch the title in the UNLV Invitational two weeks ago. OU also beat the Mavericks 5-2 in the 2003 season. The last time the Sooners played Louisiana-Lafayette was in 2000 when the No. 36 Ragin’ Cajuns defeated OU, 4-3.

Last Match RecapOU blew away Cowley County Community College and East Central with a pair of 7-0 wins. Rainy weather moved the Sooners to Oaktree Country Club in Edmond, Okla., for the first match against Cowley County, and then to Willow Creek Tennis Club in Oklahoma City, Okla., for the second match against East Central.

All of the Sooners had straight-set wins except for one in each match. Junior Ondrej Fukala (Prerov, Czech Republic) swept Cowley County’s Carlos Fernandez, 6-1, in the first set, only to face tougher competition in the second set with a close 7-6 victory. Freshman newcomer Marek Velicka (Prerov, Czech Republic) had a similar match-up against East Central’s Pablo Romera, and also came out on top, 6-0, 7-5.

Undefeated SoonersFive Sooners remain undefeated in singles play after eight matches, including all three newcomers. Junior Ondrej Fukala (Prerov, Czech Republic), sophomores Lee Gregg (Altus, Okla.) and Alexei Ivanov (Izhevsk, Russia) and freshman Marek Velicka (Prerov, Czech Republic) are all 8-0 on the season, while junior Silviu Tanasoiu (Sibiu, Romania) is 7-0. In doubles play, Fukala and Tanasoiu have a perfect record of 8-0 at the No. 3 spot.

OU Will Host 2004 Big 12 championshipsOklahoma will host the 2004 Men’s and Women’s Big 12 Tennis Championships this spring at the Headington Family Tennis Center in Norman. Tournament action begins Fri., April 30, and runs through Sun., May 2. Admission is $15 for the four-day tournament. An adult single session is $5 and a youth single session is $2. Tickets may be purchased by calling the OU Athletics Ticket Office at (405) 325-2424 or (800) 456-4668.

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